worship guide
All Saints' Day Worship Guide
Our All Saints' Day Worship guide includes a variety of sermon and liturgical resources to celebrate all the saints, from the everyday believer to the well-known saints of history.
All Saints' Day Resources
All Saints' Day
All Saints' Day is, effectively, a celebration of the Church itself—of those living and dead who are united by God through the sacrifice of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
It is a good time to remind congregations that sainthood is something all Christians are called to—not something which is limited to a few conspicuously pious believers. It is also a good time to stress the unity of the Church across the boundary of death, that those who are in now in Christ's more immediate presence are still part of us.
Remembering the dead in Christ is valuable—not least of which because of passages like Hebrews 11 and 12:1-3, which aim to inspire us to growing into saints ourselves. But remembrance is also important because there are relatively few places in Western culture that normalize the grief we all feel at the loss of those we love. Many churches tend to focus on joy in Sunday services, but are much less open about grief—and we all eventually carry the memories of beloved saints who have passed on before us. Letting your congregation see how joy and grief are blended in the life of the church is healthy and may be liberating for those who feel they have to put on a happy face on Sundays when they feel deep loss.
As All Saints' Day approaches, consider how you might mark the occasion in your preaching and services. TPW offers a variety of resources to inspire you and help you craft your All Saints' Day services. See the special liturgy below as well as links to key themes.
